The troublesome winger may be left out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against Poland, and he shouldn't be surprised if that happens.
In Leipzig last Friday, Aurelien Tchouameni came forward to defend Ousmane Dembele after another frustratingly ineffective performance for France.
"Everything's fine; he's an exceptional player," the midfielder told reporters following the dismal 0-0 stalemate with the Netherlands. "Ousmane is important to our system. We recognize that players of his caliber can reach greatness, but they may also have off days. It's part of the game."
The latter assertion holds true. Unfortunately, Dembele has normalized his inefficiencies, making inconsistency an accepted aspect of his playing style.
"The boy is magical."
The reason for such admiration is understandable. Few things in sports compare to the excitement of watching a quick and skillful winger outmaneuvering a defender with finesse, which is a quality Ousmane Dembele has in abundance. Seeing him play in person showcases his remarkable speed, which impresses spectators.
During his time at Dortmund, Thomas Tuchel was amazed by Dembele's exceptional skill. Andres Iniesta even described Dembele's footwork as genius, while Martin Braithwaite was surprised by Dembele's unparalleled talent during his first training sessions with Barcelona. "I have never seen somebody like him. Seriously," the Dane said to Tot Costa.
Even Lionel Messi, known for his reserved praise, commended the young Dembele as a prodigy on the field while subtly pointing out room for improvement off it. The message from the Argentinian maestro was evident: Dembele's future success relied entirely on his commitment and self-discipline.
This insight struck me as a significant truth.
SKILL ALONE IS NOT SUFFICIENT
Dembele openly admits that he wasted five years of his career at Barcelona, attributing persistent injury problems and frustrating inconsistency to a noticeably unprofessional approach.
"In September 2022, Dembele candidly told RMC Sport: 'If you want to be a great player, talent alone isn't enough; you must put in the effort.'" Reflecting on his past, he admitted, 'I didn't recognize it at the time, but now I appreciate the value of effort on and off the field. My ailments were caused by a lack of effort when I was younger. Without hard work, you cannot fully enjoy football, play consistently, or avoid injuries. Now I'm much stronger."
It seems that the once-controversial figure in French football had finally come to terms with reality. Although his performance has greatly improved in recent years, his overall effectiveness on the field remains low.
Barcelona was deeply disappointed by Dembele last summer when he used a release clause in his contract to initiate talks with Paris Saint-Germain. The club had supported him through various challenges, with president Joan Laporta consistently advocating for special treatment due to his exceptional talent. Considering Dembele's history of unreliability, Laporta's unwavering trust in him seems puzzling.
Dembele is an enigmatic figure who has been given more opportunities by teams and coaches than he has earned through his contributions to the team. Despite spending six years in Spain, he has never scored more than eight league goals in a single season, and his three goals in Ligue 1 last season underscore his inconsistency. Notably, he scored his only two goals during PSG's journey to the Champions League semi-finals against Barcelona, leading to speculation about Dembele's potential to become a world-class winger if he demonstrates the necessary drive.
TERRIBLE SPENDING FOR BARCA
Laporta previously said that the entire Dembele affair is perplexing. Initially addressing the player's unorthodox contract negotiation techniques, his statement perfectly captures the perplexing aspect of the Dembele phenomena as a whole.
Despite winning three Spanish crowns with Barcelona, Dembele is often regarded as the club's most costly error. He has also won a World Cup, but his international career is probably best exemplified by his early retirement 41 minutes into the 2022 final in Qatar, which former England player Stuart Pearce described as the poorest performance he had ever seen.
'STOP EXPECTING MUCH'
He would have had no reason to complain if he had never represented France again — yet here he is, starting with Euro 2024 in Germany. Much of this can be attributed to Kingsley Coman's late return to form towards the end of the season.
With Coman from Bayern Munich having more time to achieve full health, the growing speculation that Coman — or perhaps Randal Kolo Muani — will take Dembele's place in France's final group encounter makes sense.
Dembele's recent international record tells a gloomy story: one goal in three years (against Gibraltar in a 14-0 win), his last assist dating back to France's match with Poland at the 2022 World Cup, and unimpressive performances in Germany's first two group games. In just 146 minutes of play, he has already lost possession 27 times, made only five touches in the opposing penalty area, completed only four dribbles (similar to John McGinn), and generated only three chances (fewer than N'Golo Kante).
Will Deschamps give Dembele another chance? Maybe he'll rediscover his form. However, history suggests that any resurgence will be brief, as it has been with Dembele.
He consistently performs poorly and disappoints. It's time for France to stop waiting for Dembele and rationalizing his flaws.
.png.webp)
0 Comments